BOUNCE BACK ABILITY: Brendan Rodgers believes few players could have responded in the way Steven Gerrard has to his infamous slip [GETTY]

The Liverpool skipper lost his footing at the vital moment and it allowed Demba Ba in for Chelsea to strike a killer blow to their Premier League hopes.

The Reds went on to lose the game against Jose Mourinho's men 2-0 before a dramatic collapse against Crystal Palace ended their title dream.

Gerrard's slip has been replayed over and over again, and the veteran midfielder has had to endure plenty of stick from rival fans since.

Even Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho chipped in with some mickey taking yesterday while former team-mate Luis Suarez admitted this week he doesn't know how Gerrard was able to carry on playing.

The former England captain will be expecting plenty more jibes when he goes to take a corner down by the away supporters in the Anfield Road end when Chelsea return for today's lunchtime kick-off.

But Kop boss Rodgers - who insists no blame has ever or will ever be put on Gerrard - believes he has shown his strength of character by not letting it affect him.

He said: "He has got the inner-strength that the very, very best players have.

"You have to have that to perform at the level he has for 15 years at one of the top clubs in the world where the scrutiny is on you week in, week out.

"He has performed at a level that gets him over disappointments, that allows him to keep going and it is his character that defines him above even his talent.

He said: "He has got the inner-strength that the very, very best players have.

"You have to have that to perform at the level he has for 15 years at one of the top clubs in the world where the scrutiny is on you week in, week out.

“He has performed at a level that gets him over disappointments, that allows him to keep going”

Brendan Rodgers

"He has performed at a level that gets him over disappointments, that allows him to keep going and it is his character that defines him above even his talent.

"He has been remarkable for this club throughout his career here and will continue to be.

"I think it would probably have broken weaker characters."

Liverpool were out in front in the title race when Chelsea came to visit, avoiding defeat would have left them still in control as they led the Blues by five points and Manchester City by six even though the latter had a game in hand.

But they were outdone by Mourinho, who set up to restrict the menace of Suarez and Co and the Chelsea manager's plan worked perfectly.

Rodgers insists he does not dwell on the slip or losing the chance of ending Liverpool's 24-year wait for a league title.

He said: "I've got to be honest, I've never thought about it.

"Maybe in ten years' time when I'm elsewhere I'll probably look at last season a lot closer but I never look much into the past too much.

"Steven is a big character and I know from seeing him work every day that he's got over it.

"It's something you might think a bit more about when you finish or retire but he and I haven't had time to dwell on what happened."